Page 59 of Starting Over with You
“Ha! Nyle would have a fit,” she chuckles as she pushes the door open.
To my surprise, Dean has a bunch of my boxes already in the back of his truck. When I drove down, I had vacuum-sealed a lot of my belongings so that I could transport them in less space. Since being here, I’ve obviously unpacked, so it looks like I have more than I did. I used a bunch of totes to package everything, which Dean is moving like they’re full of fluff instead of shoes and photo albums. I tilt my head to the side as I watch him move my stuff. With each lift of a bin, his shoulders move, the muscles rippling under his thin green Fire Department shirt, his forearms flexing, and the vein in his neck throbbing.
“What are you two looking at?”
Is it bad that I think Nyle’s voice is as bad as nails on a chalkboard?
I look at Missy as she looks at me, and we both say, “Nothing.”
He doesn’t believe us. Hell, I don’t think anyone would.
“Liar,” I mutter as I head down the stairs with her.
She waggles her brows at me. “Listen, I know my baby daddy is fine as hell.”
Yes. He is.
We giggle together as we come up on where Nyle is trying to help Dean.
“I got it, bud.” Dean’s voice leaves no room for discussion, andNyle backs off pretty quickly. When Dean’s blue eyes set on me, a flutter starts in my chest. “This everything, darlin’?”
God, it’s hot out here. I fan my face since I know it’s turning red. “Yeah, I’ve got the rest in my car.”
“Great,” he says, smacking his hands together. He hops down from the truck with ease and then wraps an arm around Skyye’s neck.
Nyle looks at me. “You sure about this, Kenni? We hate to see you go.”
He cuddles Missy into his side, and I raise a brow. Before I can say anything, Dean cuts in. “If that were the case, maybe you’d have made sure she felt welcome.”
Nyle’s gaze cuts to Dean. “I don’t know what you’ve been told?—”
“The truth,” Dean snaps, his eyes narrowing. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure she’s very welcome at my place.”
Jesus, it’s getting really hard to breathe.
Nyle looks affronted by that, while Missy’s brows pinch. Skyye is beaming, but before anyone can say a word, the town sheriff’s SUV pulls up.
I groan inwardly as Nyle makes an excuse to head inside. Coward.
Dad gets out of his SUV and stretches before adjusting his gun belt. He looks at the lot of us. “Heard my baby has to move ’cause your shithead husband is obsessed with you.”
Missy lets out a groan as I hold back my laughter. “Shouldn’t he be obsessed, Daddy?”
“Yeah, but not while making my girl feel like she isn’t welcome in your home. I’ll let this slide, but if he makes my Sky baby feel any way like that, I’m coming back.”
The warning from my dad is no laughing matter. Especially when Dean nods in agreement. “Same.”
Dad looks at Dean, and Dean holds out his hand. “Sheriff.”
Now, Dad hates Nyle, but he despises Dean.
My dad sighs, and then he takes Dean’s hand. “Dean, thanks for taking in this hellion.”
I glare. “Daddy, really?”
He looks at me, confused. “What? You are.”
I jerk a thumb to Dean. “You’re really going to just call him Dean when he’s the fire chief of this town?” I lean in. “You taught us all to respect titles, but you won’t in front of not only him, but his very impressionable and malleable daughter? Who is also your granddaughter?”
